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Brain

Scans of the astronaut's neural networks were taken before they blasted off into space, as soon as they landed safely back home, and some cosmonauts had an additional brain scan seven months after their return to Earth. (Pictured: Astronaut Bruce McCandless II during an untethered spacewalk in 1984)  

Long-Term Space Travel May ‘Rewire’ Astronauts’ Brains

The changes may help the organ adapt to microgravity, but they seem to persist for several months after returning to Earth

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders could affect between 1 and 5 percent of children in the United States.

New Tools May Help Diagnose Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

If conditions stemming from exposure to alcohol in-utero can be better identified, then scientists can more effectively research treatments

Runners in Hawaii exercise at sunset. Exercise has profound effects on brain structure and provides more subtle mental health benefits as well.

The Future of Mental Health

How Exercise Boosts the Brain and Improves Mental Health

New research is revealing how physical activity can reduce and even ward off depression, anxiety and other psychological ailments

Dusty, the author's cat, lies on a catnip patch on a supervised visit outside. She has a smaller brain than her ancestors.

Your Pet Cat Has a Smaller Brain Than Its Wild Ancestors

The researchers replicated experiments done in the ‘60s and ‘70s with updated knowledge of feline lineage

Over the span of 15 months, scientists cataloged 76 instances of chimps using insects on their wounds and the wounds of others. 

Chimpanzees Appear to Use Insects to Treat Their Wounds

In a first, chimps in Gabon were seen applying insects to sores on themselves—and others, a possible show of empathy

Godfrey Hounsfield stands beside the EMI-Scanner in 1972.

Fifty Years Ago, the First CT Scan Let Doctors See Inside a Living Skull

The invention came from an eccentric British engineer who worked at a company now better known for selling Beatles albums

Denver Bronco player David Bruton grabs his head on the field after a reported concussion. Many patients with such head injuries suffer symptoms months after their diagnosis, even though their brains look healthy on CT scans.

This Molecule Could Be the Key to Understanding Why Concussions Have Such Long-Term Effects

Neuroscientists identified the molecule that persists in the brain—and showed how to disarm it in mice

Firefighters walk towards one of the towers at the World Trade Center before it collapsed on September 11, 2001.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

9/11 Changed How Doctors Treat PTSD

New research in the 20 years since the September 11th attacks has led to better therapies for those diagnosed with trauma disorders

The Nautilus, a research vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, and the ROV Hercules (in the water) on the hunt for a cancer-busting marine bacteria.

A Marine Bacteria Species Shows Promise for Curing an Aggressive Brain Cancer

A new glioblastoma drug is derived from a microbe found in the ocean at depths of up to 6,500 feet

A man in Laruns, southwestern France, whistling as a form of speech. Like others in the Canary Islands and elsewhere, local people have learned to whistle their language to communicate across long distances. Linguists are studying whistled speech to help understand which sound elements are essential to comprehension.

More Than 80 Cultures Still Speak in Whistles

Dozens of traditional cultures use a whistled form of their native language for long-distance communication. You could, too.

A study of two dozen common cuttlefish reveals they can recall specific details regardless of age.

Unlike Humans, Cuttlefish Have Sharp Memories Even in Old Age

The cephalopods remember when, where and what they ate until days before death

After the cells developed into mini-brains, the optic cups formed 30 days later and fully matured at 50 days.

Innovation for Good: Game Changers

Mini Brains Grown From Stem Cells Developed Light-Sensitive, Eye-Like Features

Understanding how eyes develop can help researchers pinpoint how to treat early retinal diseases

President Barack Obama fist bumps a robotic arm being controlled by electrodes implanted in Nathan Copeland's brain at the University of Pittsburgh on October 13, 2016.

New Research

Researchers Create Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm With Sense of Touch

Touch feedback allowed a man with electrodes implanted into his brain to command a robotic arm and complete tasks quickly

The device allowed the man to write about 18 words per minute

New Research

New Device Allows Man With Paralysis to Type by Imagining Handwriting

When the man visualizes his written messages, a pair of electrical sensors measure his brain activity and translate it into letters

The Indian jumping ant (Harpegnathos saltator).

New Research

This Ant Can Shrink and Regrow Its Brain

Indian jumping ants shrink their brains when they become their colony’s queen, but they can also grow the brain back if they quit the gig

After five weeks of development, a human brain organoid (left) is roughly twice the size of those from a chimpanzee (top right) and a gorilla (bottom right).

New Research

Experiments Find Gene Key to the Human Brain’s Large Size

The single gene identified by the study may be what makes human brains three times larger than our closest great ape relatives at birth

Slime mold in a petri dish. New research finds that slime molds can store memories by changing the diameter of the branching tubes they use to explore their environment, allowing them to keep track of food sources.

New Research

How the Brainless Slime Mold Stores Memories

New research finds the organism can remember the location of food by altering the diameter of the creeping tendrils it uses to explore its surroundings

Tomova used a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine to see how participants' brains responded to images of drool-worthy food and social gatherings.

Why Hunger and Loneliness Activate the Same Part of the Brain

The study suggests that social interaction isn’t just comforting or fun—it’s a human need

Winston, a 100-pound longhaired German shepherd, is a veteran participant in a series of research projects at Yale.

The New Science of Our Ancient Bond With Dogs

A growing number of researchers are hot on the trail of a surprisingly profound question: What makes dogs such good companions?

A young man watches incoming presidential election results in 2016 on the giant screens of Times Square.

Anxious About Election Results? Here’s What’s Happening in Your Brain as You Wait

Scientists are learning more about the neuroscience of awaiting uncertain outcomes

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